Beauty

The Stress of Finding the Right Foundation

These are not photographs that I would normally post myself but I wanted you to see why I need a full coverage foundation. I didn’t use any filters at all on these pictures because I wanted you to be able to see the results.
When I was younger I never had problems with my skin at all but as soon as I got pregnant with my first child I developed melasma, I was only 24 then and it didn’t really seem that bad but by the time I was pregnant with my third child it was really bad! I think I had it everywhere, I swear I even had it under my arms! Some of it faded, like under my arms but it has stayed on my face, and it is not easy to cover either.
I have tried almost every full coverage foundation you can think of, some have worked pretty good, some not so good. Full coverage can be kind of hard too because it’s very easy to look like your makeup is caked on, which is not a good look at all. So that brings me back to finding a foundation that will cover imperfections and also look not look too heavy. So much of it depends on your skin type. How you are prepping your skin before you apply your foundation because some are only or mostly for oily skin or oily to normal skin so if your skin is dry and you are not moisturizing, priming and then waiting for that to dry good before applying foundation it just doesn’t work. Then, what type of powder you are or are not setting the foundation with. I know that a lot of people don’t set their foundation with powder only their concealer, which is fine if it works on your skin. I personally want my makeup to stay when I apply it so I use a little all over my face but that’s for discussing at another time. Anyway, I have noticed lately that the foundation that I have been using for the last two years, which I absolutely loved just was not doing me favors, it was really settling into my pores even after finding a great pore primer and it was settling into lines, uhh.
I have never had a problem with pores before anywhere on my face so it took me a little while to figure out what that problem could be because I do not have oily skin. After a little research, I think that I had used a wonderful product wrong for a while. I have a great at home chemical peel (it’s not strong) that is supposed to be used about once every 2 weeks and I decided to use it 2 or 3 times a week along with my clarisonic. I just enjoyed the way my face felt so much from using that product I wanted it to feel like that all the time. So, since figuring this out I, of course, am not abusing my skin anymore and I have switched to a water based gel moisturizer and it seems to be looking much better. Now if allergies will just let my eyes get better!
All of that brings to this, I decided I had to do something about my foundation since it looked so bad so I started watching every you tube video on full coverage foundation I could find! Foundation is expensive so I wanted to know which one I thought would work. I know Sephora gives out free samples to take home and try but the two it came down to deciding between our Sephora didn’t have in store. I kept seeing good reviews on Giorgio Armani’s new fabric foundation and Hourglass Seamless Finish Foundation Stick so I wanted those. I went with the Giorgio Armani fabric foundation first and I tried it for the first time today. My first impression is that I really like it a lot you can see in the pictures how great it covers and that was with one coat. It is not heavy feeling at all and it doesn’t have that wet that some of the foundations have. I will definitely continue to use this foundation and I may go ahead and purchase the Hourglass foundation stick now since Sephora is having their VIB Sale right now.

My Thoughts on Christen Dominique’s Latte Pallet

Christen Dominique has become one of my very favorite makeup you tubers, not only is she beautiful but she gives great makeup tutorials that I think anyone could follow. She goes step by step through her makeup routines and gives great tips for you to use along the way. Like most makeup gurus, she has videos on several different looks so there should be one to flatter everyone.
I was very excited when I saw that she has come out with her own makeup line called “Dominique Cosmetics”. I got this pallet in and I couldn’t wait to use it, the colors are beautiful. The top row consist of 5 matte colors (all named after coffee) how cute is that? In these colors you have a good base color, some good transition colors and some colors to play around with and add depth. The bottom row has 2 shimmer colors, 1 metallic color and 2 accent colors. These colors are just beautiful, they are very pigmented, with just one swipe you can actually see color and they are very smooth feeling not chalky at all. They blend very well, I didn’t have any problem at all blending these colors. The teal and purple colors are very pretty and manage to be different while still staying in trend with the looks that are so popular right now.
I love playing around with colors and this pallet offered some wonderful neutral, brown and earth colors that managed to blend in with the teal and purple beautifully. It’s not easy to find a pallet that offers these earth colors that will go so easily with accent colors and blend together while still looking like they actually belong together. You usually get all warm earth colors in a pallet or bold bright cool colors in a pallet. Christen Dominique managed to give us a pallet that offers the warm earth tones that blends perfectly with these pops of color. The shimmer shades are beautiful and not so bright that a woman my age wonders if she should be wearing them.
Needless to say, I will be using this pallet a lot! I have had the colors on all day and have not had to touch them up at all. I didn’t have much fall out at all when applying the colors maybe just a tiny bit from the bright colors but I don’t think that can be helped.
Please excuse the bags under my eyes, I did attempt to cover them but my allergies are so bad right now it’s impossible.

UNDER EYE TRICK

I’m always looking for a way to fix the small lines (creases) under my eyes, I just hate it when my concealer settles into these creases. I was watching you tube one day and ran across Beauty and the Boutique’s video on this subject and thought I’d give it a try. She took cold pressed jojoba oil and applied it very lightly on top of the concealer or foundation (whichever you use under your eyes). MAKE SURE THERE IS NO POWDER ON THIS AREA! The powder will end up getting broken up and looking like a mess. Jojoba oil is actually made of little wax particles (jojoba oil and jojoba wax are often used interchangeably because the jojoba wax appears as an oil) this why you need to make sure you get cold pressed this means they have extracted the oil, even though it looks like an oil. I know pretty confusing! I just thought I’d give a try at explaining.
Anyway, when I first did this what I thought was a tiny bit was a little too much and at first I thought this is not going to work but I took my beauty blender (it still had a little concealer on it from applying) and dabbed it under my eye really good until it was really smooth looking. This is a method that you kind of need to play around with to see just how tiny an amount it actually takes. After mine set and looked dry I applied a light layer of powder but if you do this make sure your under eye area is dry. Another thing I think is a good idea if you put eyeliner under your eyes is to take an eyeliner brush and set the eyeliner with an eyeshadow in the same color. I have done this for years (even without this method) and it keeps the eyeliner from smearing or wearing/fading.
I have really dark circles and my under eye area has a sunken appearance so one of my favorite ways to cover this is by Laura Lee, she has a you tube video on it called “How to Cover Dark Circles and Under Eye Bags” This method works really well but it does involve several steps.

ALL ABOUT MASCARA

I am always looking for a great mascara! I find one that is really good, but then there is always another that I see a you tuber use that I just have to try! There are several that I really like but of course I have a certain type of wand that I like (as we all do!) and some of us need length and some of us need volume. These are all just my personal views on the products I understand that all products work different on everyone. This is just how I would recommend if ask
First are lash primers

I have been using L’Oreal Double Extend Primer, Tarte Opening Act Primer (I love that name), and Lancome CILS Booster XL. Honestly, I like all 3 of these! They all do what they say they are going to do, they add length to your lashes and give them some fullness. I use the L’Oreal primer because out of the 3 it is the least expensive and honestly I can’t tell any difference between them. You would be using a good product with any of these 3 primers.
OK, I have a lot of different mascaras that I tried!

YOUNIQUE MOODSTRUCK EPIC MASCARA This one really surprised me in a very good way! Several years ago I tried Younique when it was a 2 step mascara and it didn’t work for me but this new formula is very good! This is definitely one of the top 4 that I use the most

BOBBI BROWN EYE OPENING MASCARA This has been one of my favorites for the last 3 years, it’s very noticeable and black so it makes your lashes look very full, I just wish it also lengthened the lashes. That’s the down side to this one, you get fullness but not much length. It also tends to “goop” (I guess that’s the word since it doesn’t clump) up where you screw the wand back to the bottle so it can be messy! I keep a makeup wipe out to clean the tube as soon as I shut it

L’OREAL VOLUMINOUS LASH PARADISE This is known as the dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I have to say this mascara is really good! You have to put on 2 coats to get the same look that you get with 1 coat from the Too Faced brand but it cost much less and you get more product in the tube. This is definitely a favorite of mine!

Madison Reed
Modena Brown
5.5 NNN

ICONIC LONDON MASCARA I really had high hopes for this mascara especially since I waited for them to ship it to me from London. It just didn’t give my lashes a good look. It also has the small comb like wand instead of the thick brush wand that I like and that makes a difference as to how much mascara is coating your lashes. Some people prefer the thinner comb like wand, just not me

BELLAPIERRE VOLUMIZING MASCARA This is another one that just didn’t impress me, even after coating my lashes several times I just never looked like I had really full lashes. It is also pretty wet and takes longer to dry

YSL THE SHOCK MASCARA I love this mascara! This is one of my top 4! It does everything it is supposed to, it gives you full lashes as well as making your lashes look longer.

L’OREAL VOLUMINOUS ORIGINAL MASCARA This is a very good mascara! You get a great full look and length with this one, not quite as good as the higher end brands but very good! This is one of my favorite drugstore mascaras, I would wear this one more but I forget about it being so good

TOO FACED BETTER THAN SEX MASCARA This is probably the #1 best-selling mascara in every cosmetics store! I agree, it is great, it gives you length and volume and a great coverage with just one coat! Yes, this is in my top 4

COVERGIRL SUPER SIZE FIBERS I wanted to like this mascara really bad! When I was in high school and even first married I used a Covergirl mascara and everyone was always surprised when they asked me what mascara I wore. Some of the problem I had might have been the wand, it was a thin comb like wand and to get a good bit of product on my lashes I had to wiggle the wand back and forth as I moved up with it this caused my lashes to stick together

BUXOM BIG TEASE PLUMPING MASCARA This is another really great mascara! I went through a phase where I only used this mascara! This one delivers on volume and length, it looks great on & yes, is my other top 4!

ESSENCE LASH PRINCESS FALSE LASH EFFECT MASCARA I tried this mascara for the first time when I bought and for some reason it was on my “not like” list, I tried it again before this review and thought it was pretty good! So now I’m moving this over to my “like” list. It really looked good on and I’ve read and heard that the Essence Mascara with the purple writing on the bottle is the best but it’s always sold out, even online! I am going to wear this one a lot more

TARTE LIFTED MASCARA I didn’t find anything not to like about this mascara, it didn’t flake off, it showed up good but I honestly don’t think I’d buy it if I was in a cosmetics store. There were just others I liked better

MAC IN EXTREME DIMENSION 3D BLACK LASH This is not a favorite for me but it does give a pretty finish. It’s not dramatic like you would expect something 3D to be but it doesn’t clump and your lashes seem to stay separated

MAC UPWARD LASH This mascara has the comb style smaller wand but it surprisingly put a good bit of product on the lashes and they looked really good